While receiving a manicure at beauty salons, clients customarily have their hand soaked in a basin of warm liquid. Soaking softens the skin and nails and has many other therapeutic benefits that include stimulating circulation of the blood and otherwise alleviating fatigue. Consequently, soaking is a particularly enjoyable and important part of having a manicure.
In a salon setting, a manicure bowl can be used by dozens of clients in a single day. Therefore, hygienic practices regarding use of the bowls are an important consideration. It is common and often required, that the bowl is emptied and cleaned between uses. However, such repeated cleaning can reduce the life of the bowl and can be time consuming. Instead, to cut down on repeated cleanings while promoting hygiene, many salons use makeshift liners such as plastic sacks, particularly those commonly used for groceries. Although generally effective, such plastic sacks lack sufficient rigidity to remain in place. Thus, leaking can be problem and, even if properly secured, wet sacks can feel odd against the client's skin. In addition, use of plastic bags lack esthetic appeal.
In current approaches, it is typically required that the technician move the entire manicure bowl filled with liquid to discard the liquid in between uses. This can be time consuming and inefficient when each bowl must be individually moved, cleaned, then replaced for the after each use.
When soaking hands specifically, it is important to provide support to the wrist area so a client is not force to hold their hands at awkward angle for the duration of the soaking. During soaking, clients must submerge their finger and hands in the manicure bowl, causing their wrists to be extended at an upward angle over the sides of the bowl. Maintaining this position for the duration of soaking can cause fatigue or pain in the client's wrist. Current approaches exist but are limited in their application and efficacy. They may not apply to a variety of client's different wrist sizes and shapes, as well as being oversized or bulky affecting efficiently storage of the soaking basin.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there exists a need for a manicure bowl having a disposable liner, and integrated wrist support, that provides a hygienic, therapeutic soak and is cost-effective to manufacture. The present invention fulfills this need and others.